Appointments Now Open to Donate Blood During the National Blood Emergency

Two-Day Blood Drive Sept. 24-25 at JW Marriott Las Vegas and Rampart Casino

JW Marriott Resort & Spa Las Vegas and Rampart Casino, in conjunction with Vitalant, to host a weekend blood drive during an emergency need period on Saturday, Sept. 24 and Sunday, Sept. 25 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Donors are encouraged to schedule an appointment online to reserve a spot by calling 877-25-VITAL or visiting vitalant.org and enter code ‘RAMPART’ to sign up for this drive, as well as other upcoming drives.

Vitalant’s blood supply has dropped by nearly 50% since the start of summer, creating an emergency shortage.

Donors of all blood types are needed to end this blood emergency, especially type O. Type O blood is the most transfused as nearly half of the population has type O

It’s crucial that every available donor do their part to fill the thousands of appointments over the next weeks to avert delays for patients who will need blood.

Hospital demand for blood remains strong, depleting the supply. In fact, Vitalant is sending blood to about 900 hospitals nationwide more quickly than donations are coming in.

Additionally, September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Blood Cancer Awareness Month. Cancer patients are among the most frequent recipients of blood and platelets and in the U.S. 43 children are diagnosed with cancer every day.

Approximately every three minutes, someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with a blood cancer like leukemia and lymphoma. The need for blood supply continues to grow.